Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-26
there, to my disgust, found that no one was

one man was an act Of folly had not the
least intention of committing. OF other
alternatives one was to send down the guide
l had with mo to the valley to bring up a
companion (which meant loss of time and
expense), or else to wait where l was on the
chance of soma other party bound for Zermatt
turning up, to whom l might ask leave to
attach myself
was sitting summing myself in front of
the inn, and thinking over matters, when
CHEEKY voice hailed me, and who should
appear toiling up the stony path leading
from the valley but my old friend Burns,
whom l had not the smallest idea that
should meet on this side Of the Alps.
Burns was now leading light of the legal
profession. He was even spoken of mystic
riously as future judge, but anything more
unjudicial than his manner in the Alps it was
impossible to imagine, and to me he was ever
the same admirable companion and friend
that he had ever been.
He had left party of friends at the Italian
lakes, and had come ito do walk as he
termed it, in the mountains, and he had
brought with him temporarily young
Italian guide named Antoine, and a porter,
and he, too, found to my great satisfaction,
was bound for Zermatt by way of the Lys-
jech.
We decided, as matter of course, to join
forces. Burns porter was paid of and sent
home; Antoine and my guide Josef were re-
tanned, and the following morning we had
started on our expedition.
The weather had become doubtful soon af-
ter we had left the inn; but we kept on not
outstanding until well ON the glacier, and
then, when too late, we had begun to wish
that we bad had the moral courage TO turn
back before, for the guides had lost them
selves. They were neither of them first rate,
| and now that difficulties began to thicken
/ they proceeded to lose their heads In fact,
| to such a pass did matters come that Burns
and myself had to assume all responsibility
| The storm was raging furiously now; not a
| landmark was visible, and the binding snow
! obliterated everything. To add to our
! troubles we found ourselves without a com
Z pass, the only member of the party possessed
, of one being Burns, and his he had broken
J only the day before We could not thus tel
F! even the direction in which we ought to
! lie going.
! have heard of persons lost in the desert
/ wandering for mills in a circle, so that they
: -ame back at last to the very point from
I which they started
] To those who have not experienced it, it i.
impossible to convey the feeling of utter hope
| iessness in such case. 1t was fated We should
| feel it on that day; for after many an hours
weary trudge, knee deep in the soft snow, We
/ found that our labors had been in vain, and
we only returned again to the tracks we bad
made before. Still, aimlessly as we might
walk, it was necessary TO keep moving, for t
stand still, and for any length of time, meant
/ 10 perish in that awful cold
/ We were white from head to foot with thu
snow, which had frozen upon us, and, had the
occasion been less serious, we could have
laughed at the strange appearance we pre-
scented. Burns had assumed the lead. 1t had
been decided that he should go first on The
rope and myself last. Antoine and Josef be
tween US; but as Tor knowing where we wert
it did not matter much who acted as leader
On we went, and still on, until the mo
notony became well nigh uncomfortable. Nc
change, always the same white waste about
us, snow here, there, everywhere and falling
all around more heavily than over What
was TO become OF Us if it coDiinaed7 W.
could not go on walking Indefinitely Houl
after hour went YEARLY by
The guides began to lose heart, and cried u
each other about their wives and children. |
TOO, began to feel not quite myself Bul
Burns, firmly Is ever, kept ploddins forward
forward, forward caught myself thinking
les they say drowning men viii do Of Incl
dents in ny past life of things which | hai
= Ia. A.. Is ~ 4. \
which it would have been better had left
undone; and then | thought OF host d
minor matters which at such q time seemed
positively trivial Then my thoughts ran OF
other Alpine expeditions, and OF that last ous
which We had made five years ago
Straugel The scene of it was close beside
US now; for, though shut out from sight BY
/ impenetrable mist we knew that the might,
form Of the LySkAmm was towering some
where above US, lost to sight among tn,
clouds. Even the day-Aug I3-was th,
same It seemed as if by strange irony O
fate that that scene Of our escape might wit
ness the closing scene in the lives of all Of us
Then FrauZ's words cams back TO me, anC
caught myself saying, half alcud, Franz
Franz! Ga FOR enc hour OF your guidance
and all would be vol! Oh tina. yoa could com
back to eartA to redeem your promisen Ant
as | yet spoke there was waited toward u
across the glacier voice, clear and distinct
even amidst the whiri and uproar of tb
storm. voice that said, Herr, | GOMEZ
We had altered our course. Almost in
sersibly felt it. But WIS equally certai
that it was 50. looked ahead Burns wa
6ti!l leading, but no! somehow the order la
been changed. l thought that did not SC
Alright, for | could not remember any altera
ton being made in our positions Oh the ropC
and yet it was quite certain that it was lie
Burns vino now went first.
| began 10 count. There was Josef, tLei
Antoine, there Burns, and there-but no,
could not be-there was yet another ! re
fused 10 believe it. Twice again / counted
twice with the same result. And then cam
over me 4 feeling Of dread. for / felt that h
who was leading US was not of this life
looked, and the form seemed famiiiaI
tall and broad shouidered, and with a ii
cis;on in it, movements that had never see
IN but enc guide. And yet, firmly thong
it tTod, the figure seemed to glide over tn
snow rather than walk. Our pace increase
We seemed almost to he flying across til
| BtettiS1. ADtOu We W iupuill. tLS oibi
grew sleeper, then sleeper still, We crosse
what was clearly a ridge, and then began t
descend. Onward over the snow we Went
till suddenly the clouds lifted, and there b
meath Us lay the familiar form of the grcu
GOerner glacier, all rosy with the light Of
fiery sunset. We were saved.
We raced down to patch of rocks on tn
side of the Goerner Here the guides thre'
down their sacks and gave vent to their 10
in shouts which woke the echoes of Mont
Rosa as they had never been Weakened befor'
while turned to thank our unknown con
panion. But no was nowhere to be seen; GU
party now consisted but of four.
We'll, old : Cow, what are you looking E
glum about / III better leader than son
of us, and he looked savagely at ANTON
and Josef, Tin fact, I'm thinking III come OF
as a guide when all else fails. You'll tab
me of courseP
, 1t was Burns who spoke. Clearly he la
; not seen what lad ! said nothing, but
knew my eyes had not deceived me. fc
| that tho,., words of Franz had come hon